Gluttony Patterns

The Divine Fist School's headquarters.

Qiu Feipeng paced back and forth in his room, unable to settle down. He kept glancing toward the Iron Palm Sect's headquarters until he finally couldn't hold back and went to Feng Jiu. "Mr. Ninth, do you think something might have happened to Chief He and the others?"

"What could happen?" A table piled with delicacies from the mountains and seas stood before Feng Jiu. He ate until grease shone on his lips. "No one in Luyang City believes Feng Qi can uphold justice anymore. If his Keyword really is 'upholding justice,' his attribute would have dropped to the minimum by now. Instead of coming to Luyang City to find the killer, he summoned the people from the Three Schools and Five Sects in the name of Peacekeeping Joint Defense. He's just clutching at straws."

"Clutching at straws?" Qiu Feipeng raised an eyebrow.

Han Zuo sat nearby, eyes closed as he rested. At Feng Jiu's words, he glanced over. He and Feng Qi were both Heavenly Demons, but he couldn't sense Feng Qi's calm composure in Feng Jiu. Deep down, he felt a faint unease.

"Feng Qi used a bunch of empty theories to bamboozle the Feng Family. They think they're about to unify the martial world, so they're supporting him with everything they've got. He's probably trying the same trick now that he's summoned the leaders of the Three Schools and Five Sects. But Chief He already knows everything Feng Qi has done in the past. He definitely won't fall for it." Feng Jiu snorted and flicked the chicken bone he'd gnawed clean from his hand.

It landed with a thunk.

The bone sank deep into the wooden doorframe. Feng Jiu nodded in satisfaction.

"You said yourself, what if his attribute isn't 'upholding justice'?" Qiu Feipeng asked.

"Feng Qi only took the Iron Palm Sect by ambushing Chief Qiu. And he's been making you do his bidding by threatening the old chief—a low trick. Now he only has three to five hundred underlings, and he can't even fully control them. We could ruin everything he's done with a single move. If he dares to provoke the Three Schools and Five Sects all at once, he must be tired of living in this world."

Feng Jiu spoke with an air of confidence. "Young Master Qiu, Heavenly Demons only need to make sure their words and actions match their attributes. They're not stupid. Feng Qi's biggest flaw is his arrogance. He thinks he can control everything. If not for that arrogance, would the Feng Family have fallen so far? If you're really worried, we can move somewhere else in advance and lie low..."

"What are you saying, Mr. Ninth? What will Chief He think of us if he comes back and finds we've left?" Qiu Feipeng said awkwardly.

"I told you long ago that we should find somewhere to hide in Luyang City. It'd be much easier to act that way: we could leave or stay whenever we wanted, and sabotage Feng Qi at any time. But you insisted on finding allies. Now you're too worried about saving face to leave..." Feng Jiu laughed mockingly. Suddenly, his expression changed. He bolted for the door. "This is bad. Someone's coming. Hurry, let's go!"

"Who?" Qiu Feipeng froze. Outside, the clamor of voices and clashing weapons had already begun.

"Ding Wanjie, have you gone mad? You actually dare attack the Divine Fist School?"

"Kill them! Don't let a single villain escape!"

"Brother Ninth, it's been a while! Why are you rushing off without even saying hello?"

"My darling little sweethearts, why have you turned your blades on me? Come on, put them down and let your big brother taste your blood..."

"Feng Qi!" At the sound of Du Ge's terrifying voice, Han Zuo sprang to his feet, furious. "Feng Jiu's a lying bastard. I knew he couldn't be trusted. Fourth Young Master, Hall Master Yan, we have to go."

"How is that possible? Chief He would never betray us!" Qiu Feipeng said.

"There are Beggar's Sect members outside. Chief He is probably already dead," Han Zuo said urgently. "Let's go, Fourth Young Master, Hall Master Yan. We have to find a way out. Third Young Lady went to invite Master Tong. As long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood."

"Dead? But Chief He is from the Divine Fist School..." Qiu Feipeng was stunned.

"Fourth Young Master, don't worry about that now. If we don't leave, it'll be too late." Han Zuo grabbed Qiu Feipeng by the arm and pulled him toward the door.

But the moment they stepped outside, their faces grew even grimmer.

The courtyard was a one-sided slaughter.

The Divine Fist School's headquarters in Luyang City had just over twenty people. Aside from He Yuanan and his deputy, the rest were ordinary disciples. Only a few could match the martial skills of the Iron Palm Sect's hall guards.

Even with the guards from the various Iron Palm Sect halls and several hall leaders they'd brought along, they numbered only a little over fifty.

Their opponents, however, were Gao Yong, Ding Wanjie, Nie Nong, and the other leaders of the Three Schools and Five Sects.

Under normal circumstances, even fifty men could put up a fight against a few experts.

But now, Wang San stood outside the crowd, distracting the Divine Fist School's people with his bizarre way of speaking.

Under the experts' assault, the fifty men panicked and thought only of escape. They couldn't last even two or three moves before being cut down.

"Take out Wang San first." Han Zuo assessed the situation accurately and shouted, "If we don't kill Wang San, none of us will get away."

"Han Zuo, I loved you so much. First you betrayed me, and now you want to kill me. What did I ever do wrong?" Wang San sneered, turning toward Han Zuo as his languid voice rang out.

An overwhelming fear surged into Han Zuo's heart. He didn't even dare look at Wang San. Now that he'd experienced it firsthand, he finally understood why everyone had fallen into chaos when Wang San spoke. Fighting down his terror, he stammered, "Fourth Young Master, kill Wang San..."

"You're all my lovers. None of you will escape." Wang San gave a cackling laugh, including everyone in his threat.

"No!"

Qiu Feipeng backed away in terror.

Xia Mingliang of the Tianshan School glanced at them and swept them all into a single sword move.

He had no choice but to act. Feng Qi had been right behind them the whole time, playing the role of supervisor.

Everyone knew that even though they'd signed the Peacekeeping Joint Defense contract, Feng Qi still didn't trust them. Their attack on the Divine Fist School was their proof of loyalty. Anyone who refused to fight would be sent to join He Yuanan by Feng Qi's dagger.

Why had he managed to pull it off again?

You were the Three Schools and Five Sects. How could you be as stupid as the Feng Family?

What benefits had he offered you?

Why?

Why did everything he did go so smoothly?

And that yandere—why was she so blindly devoted to helping him?

What kind of Advanced Skill had he developed?

A brainwashing aura?

Watching Feng Qi in high spirits, Feng Jiu felt so jealous his heart bled. He weighed their respective strengths, took a deep breath, and plastered a smile on his face. "Seventh Brother, we go way back. Is there still a chance for me to join you?"

If I hadn't betrayed you, you'd still have had a chance...

Du Ge looked at Feng Jiu and shook his head. "Ninth Brother, if you hadn't destroyed the justice I'd worked so hard to uphold yesterday, you'd still have had a chance."

Feng Jiu fell silent. He looked at Du Ge dejectedly. "Seventh Brother, I'm a student from a civilian academy. I know you won't trust me again. But I don't want to be eliminated so soon. Give me another month. Let me enjoy the delicacies of this world a little longer."

"Seventh Brother, don't trust him." Feng Zhong lowered his voice. "There are no weaklings in the Simulation Field..."

At Feng Zhong's words, Feng Jiu sighed inwardly, then gave an evil laugh. "You brought this on yourselves. If I devour all three of you, I'll soar to new heights. Come forth, Gluttony Patterns!"

The instant he spoke, Du Ge sensed danger and hurled the throwing knife in his hand. It whistled through the air and lodged in Feng Jiu's chest.

But Feng Jiu didn't die. Black patterns suddenly appeared on his face. They seemed to come alive, spreading across his entire body in an instant.

Then his body rapidly swelled, bursting through his clothes. He became a monster more than two meters tall, with a goat's head, a human body, eyes beneath its armpits, tiger's teeth, and human claws. It looked at Du Ge, roared at the sky, then leaped toward Wang San.

Du Ge's attribute was 'upholding justice.' He didn't know Feng Zhong's Keyword.

But from Feng Yunjie, he knew that Wang San's yandere attribute inspired an inexplicable terror in others. So he had to kill Wang San before he could speak. Otherwise, he wouldn't have a chance at all.